Commission on Economic Opportunity's executive director to retire at end of year

TROY - Karen Gordon, executive director of the Commission on Economic Opportunity for the Greater Capital Region, will be stepping down from her position as executive director on Dec. 31.

"I've been working for thirty years at this mission trying to advocate and help families become self-sufficient," said Gordon, adding that it is now time for her to bring her passion for helping home. "I would like to spend more time with my grandchildren," explained the retiring director.

Gordon began as a bookkeeper at CEO in 1972 and quickly began climbing the ranks. She was first appointed finance manager, then deputy director and began at her current post in 1982.

"We owned absolutely nothing, not even any facilities," said Gordon.

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When she took over as director, the CEO did not have a building, employed 50, and operated on a budget of between $2 and $3 million, equating to between $4 million and $7 million today. Now, they have ten buildings throughout the Capital Region, five times as many employees, and a budget in the range of $20 million. During that tenure Gordon and the commission have helped thousands of mothers and babies, 400 teenagers, and more than 10,000 children.

"She has been able to work to locate family resource centers throughout much of the county," said County Executive Kathleen Jimino, a CEO board member. With a focus on Rensselaer County, CEO offers upwards of 35 different services at 10 different locations, including several in Troy, and one each in Hoosick Falls, Schodack, and Rensselaer.

The brick-and-mortar expansion has continued in recent years.

Two years ago the CEO was informed of a poverty pocket in southern Rensselaer County. Gordon took on that mission immediately, and was "dogged" in finding exactly the right site for the new center, said Jimino. That mission resulted in the construction of the Family Resource Center, located in Schodack.

More recently, CEO bought St. Peter's Church at 2306 Fifth Ave. and the nearby rectory and lyceum for $255,000 from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, according to the Albany Business Review. The non-profit now owns all of the 2301-2316 block of Fifth Avenue, with the exception of one parcel. After a planned $1.5 million renovation, CEO will have much needed space to expand its programming, such as a financial literacy program, a need Gordon understands personally.

"When I first got married, I was very young and my husband was in the military. I didn't have a whole lot of money so I learned to live on very little," said Gordon. As she has been helping people find jobs, Gordon has learned it is just as important, if not more so, that people also have the ability to manage the money they are earning.

The program will feature classes that teach how to calculate taxes, read bills, and budget appropriately for one's needs. They will be held in the Joseph L. Bruno Family Resource Center at 2328 Fifth Avenue in downtown.

The nine members of the search committee reviewed more than 200 applications for Gordon's position, and held interviews with 10 candidates. Reportedly, candidate Katherine Maciol, the county's commissioner of mental health, has been offered a contract.

Gordon's accomplishments at CEO have been lauded by county legislators.

"(Gordon) worked hard, established contacts in government, business and the community and made CEO a real force in Rensselaer County," said Legislator Michael Stammel in a statement. Stammel is a board member of the organization. His statement was echoed by fellow legislator and board member Judith Breselor.

"Karen worked hard to provide a safety net for those trapped in unfortunate circumstances and created paths to better lives with training and educational programs," said Breselor. "The work CEO has done in enabling many of those less fortunate to build better and more productive lives is a real testament to Karen's leadership."

After retirement, Gordon plans to split her time between her home in Troy and a place in Florida. In addition to spending time with her husband of 41 years, Bill, their two children, and her two grandchildren, she would like to find more time to go golfing.

While she will be passing the reins at CEO, Gordon said: "I will always advocate on behalf of the disenfranchised, that is just part of who I am."